


but you're here right now and I think you'll stay

by SunshineScorpius



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Albus wears glasses, Established Relationship, Grandparents & Grandchildren, It's christmas at the burrow, M/M, Scorpius really wants to impress Albus' grandparents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:53:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21917893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineScorpius/pseuds/SunshineScorpius
Summary: It was tradition that Albus visits the Burrow every year for Christmas on his own and spends a few days with his Grandparents before a storm of Weasley’s join them, but this year Albus wanted Scorpius to join him. Scorpius is nervous, terrified that the two people who mean the most to Albus wouldn’t like him. But, he has nothing to worry about, of course Molly and Arthur would love the person who chose to love their Grandson.
Relationships: Albus Severus Potter & Arthur Weasley, Albus Severus Potter & Molly Weasley, Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 16
Kudos: 159





	but you're here right now and I think you'll stay

**Author's Note:**

> This (not so) little fic was written as a Christmas present for my beautiful girlfriend, hence the reason why Albus wears glasses (much to my dismay). I love you, Samantha, and I hope you love this fic! Have a wonderful Christmas <33333
> 
> Trigger warnings for panic attacks and nightmares! stay safe kids xoxo

_Home is not a building with a roof and four walls,_

_Nor is it a park bench or the cobbled street,_

_It’s not a mansion with long winding halls,_

_Home is a person with silver eyes and a heartbeat._

_#_

As soon as Scorpius tumbled through the floo he was on the floor with a mouthful of black hair and arms covered in a green jumper snaked around him. He barely had the chance to speak before Albus’ lips hungrily found his, kissing him deeply as though he’d been starved from his touch for decades, not merely a week. Scorpius responded just as enthusiastically, losing his hands to Albus’ messy curls when the _whoosh_ of the floo sounded again.

Instinctively, Scorpius pushed Albus off him and scrambled to his feet, meeting his dad’s eyes with an embarrassed flush to his cheeks. Albus huffed on the floor before slowly making his way to his feet and smiling at Draco, adjusting his glasses that had been knocked askew in the fall – or jump, Scorpius wasn’t quite sure if his intention was to knock him to the ground.

Draco smiled at Albus before sighing. “It’s only been a week, Albus,” he half scolded, but the playful tone in his voice was something Albus was used to and something Scorpius was still coming to terms with. His father had never been the joking type.

Somehow, Albus beamed brighter. “Sorry, Draco, but your son is just truly irresistible.”

Scorpius fought the urge to groan and roll his eyes, but only because Ginny had appeared in the doorway.

“Do you always let your children behave in this animalistic way, Ginevra?” Draco asked, the same playful yet serious tone he used with Albus. To an outsider, Draco would have come across as cold and harsh, but to his closer friends, it was obvious that he was joking.

“Lovely to see you, too, Draco,” Ginny said, walking further into the room with her arms wide, ready to pull Draco into a hug whether he liked it or not. He did, however, graciously accept the hug, which caused Albus to nudge Scorpius’ side with his elbow before they both raised an eyebrow at each other in surprise. Scorpius chuckled when he caught Albus’ eye, reaching up to adjust his glasses that still didn’t sit right on his face. Once he did, Albus stuck his tongue out at him – a playful gesture that Scorpius knew meant ‘thank you’ deep down.

Once Ginny had finished hugging Draco, she crossed the room to tackle Scorpius, only slightly less forcefully than Albus had. He melted into her embrace, overwhelmed with the love and warmth that only a mothers’ hug provided.

“So, Albus and Scorpius will be spending a couple of days at the Burrow?” Draco asked as she pulled away, giving him a quick cheek pinch.

“Yes,” she confirmed. “They’ll be there with mum and dad for today and tomorrow, and then the rest of the family will join on Christmas Eve, and then you’re picking Scorpius up from there around what time?”

Draco looked to Scorpius. “I think we agreed around 10 p.m., right Scorpius?” Scorpius nodded. “He wanted to spend as much time as possible there, if that’s okay with you?”

“Perfect. Right, Al, if you go and get your stuff and I’ll take you both to Grandma’s,” Ginny said, smiling at Albus. Albus nodded, grinning again at Scorpius before dashing off upstairs. Draco came over to him and handed Scorpius the bag he’d packed for the stay, placing it gently on his shoulder.

“I packed that other book you insisted on packing, even though I’m convinced you won’t get through two,” his dad said, tapping him lightly on the nose, causing Scorpius to scrunch his face. “Be good,” he warned.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. “Since when have I ever been a problem child, dad?” Just as Draco was about to answer, Scorpius cut back in. “And don’t you dare say fourth year, I thought we were over that.”

His dad chuckled lightly before ruffling his hair. “We are, come here.”

Scorpius crashed into him, wrapping his arms around him tightly and squeezing around his middle. Even though Scorpius was closer to him in height than previous years, his dad still felt miles bigger than he’ll ever be. He quite liked that though, he never wanted to be taller; it felt wrong. His dads arms were around him in seconds, protectively holding him. A mothers hug may be warm and cuddly, but his dads were protective and safe; his dads were where he’d run to whenever the world felt dark.

With another long goodbye, Draco patted him on the shoulder before disappearing into the floo and even though he’d seen him in three days, Scorpius already missed him. Christmas was a difficult time of year for them both. Normally, Scorpius would refuse to leave him, but it was Draco who suggested that he stay with the Potters, later dropping the knowledge that Scorpius’ Grandparents were stopping for those few days he was away. He was suddenly relieved that he wouldn’t be around; Lucius Malfoy was not Scorpius’ biggest fan. His Grandmother was better, but he’d still rather avoid them both if possible. They would be gone by the time he returns on Christmas Eve.

Ginny made small talk with Scorpius whilst they waited for Albus, asking him how his birthday was – which was the previous day – and various things like that, when James walked into the room.

“Hey, little man,” he greeted with a smile, dressed in his Quidditch uniform and holding a broom. Lily followed quickly after in similar gear.

“I’m not little,” Scorpius said, folding his arms in faux annoyance. “You’re just… big,” he finished lamely.

James chuckled and looked around dramatically. “Oh, did you somehow turn into Albus then? I swear you guys spend too much time together.”

“We’ve been apart for a whole week,” Scorpius protested.

“Oh, how is your poor little heart coping?” James said, placing a hand over his own heart and fake fainting, dropping to the floor on weak knees and dramatically collapsed. Lily was giggling watching James shake on the floor before she caught Scorpius’ deadpanned look and crossed to room to embrace him.

“Ignore him, Scorpy,” she said, refusing to let go of him until Scorpius wrapped his own arms around her, which he did quickly. The Potters’ were huggers, and there was usually no getting out of them until it was returned. “He just _thinks_ he’s funny,” Lily said, aiming the words at James.

James stopped his actions, rolling onto his side and propping his head up on his elbow. “You know I’m hilarious, Lily Luna, and don’t even try to deny it.”

“I can deny it, though,” Scorpius quipped, earning a shocked gasp from James, who was still on the floor.

“Okay, I’m ready!” Albus said as he came running back in, a backpack on his back and a wooden box-like thing tucked under his arm. He looked at the scene, at Lily hugging Scorpius’ side and then James on the floor, to Ginny who was sat reading the newspaper and pretending not a single person in the room was her child. “James, get off the floor,” Albus scolded, looking at his brother like he’d gone insane.

“Your boyfriend was insulting me, I think you should have words with him,” James spoke as he picked himself up from the floor in a voice so serious that Scorpius had a hard time telling if he was joking or not.

Albus rolled his eyes. “You know doubt deserved it.”

“He did,” Lily and Ginny said in unison. James gaped, but Ginny stood before he could say anything. “Right, come on then boys, Grandma and Granddad will be expecting you.”

Scorpius couldn’t deny he was beyond nervous about meeting Albus’ Grandparents for the first time. He’d seen them briefly on the platform his third year when Lily and Hugo started school, but he was so wrapped up in his own head that year that he never got the chance to say hello. Then, he and Albus made plans for Scorpius to join them for Albus’ birthday at the Burrow during the summer, but Draco had decided that both he and Scorpius need a break and whisked them away to Italy for the entire summer, which was both the best and worst summer of his life for completely different reasons.

So, he was nervous. Albus’ Grandparents mean the world to him. They were the ones who loved him and accepted him no matter what, who never treated him differently because of his sorting and they’re the ones he runs to when life gets a little hard. After the argument with his dad – the one that caused the kaleidoscope of horrific events – he went to the burrow and spent the evening with the two people who meant the most to him.

If they didn’t like Scorpius, he would have no idea what to do. Albus would probably leave him and Scorpius would be left in a world where he’d be alone – again. It wasn’t fair on Albus to assume that he would just drop Scorpius like they wasn’t madly in love, but none of Scorpius’ fears were ever rational. They were overpowering, suffocating, drowning. It didn’t matter how ridiculous or far-fetched they were, they would drag him under water and hold him down till the last breath left his body.

It was Albus’ hand in his that brought him back to reality, like a life jacket that kept him above water. They said their goodbyes to James and Lily who quickly took off to start their Quidditch match. James was Puddlemere United’s new substitute Chaser, and would be taking on the position full time in the New Year – he was trying to practice as much as he could.

Albus went first, handing the box he had to Ginny so he wouldn’t ruin it on the trip (Albus had a habit of not being able to land on his feet after a floo travel). Once enough time had passed, Ginny handed Scorpius some floo powder and stroked his cheek, granting him access to the floo. He’d only just gotten over the nausea of the last trip, but sucked it up anyway – he much preferred floo over apparition.

When he appeared the other side of the fireplace into the living room of the Burrow, Albus was already hugging his Grandma. Scorpius took in a deep breath to calm his beating heart, feeling a little more at ease when Ginny appeared next to him. She set the wooden box on the table and put her arm around Scorpius’ shoulder, her other hand resting on his other shoulder.

“Mum, dad, you’re going to suffocate him,” Ginny joked, as now Mr Weasley had joined in on the hug and Albus was barely visible from between the two of them.

“We haven’t seen him since the summer, Ginny,” Mrs Weasley reminded. Her eyes locked onto Scorpius and she beamed a smile that Scorpius thought remarkably resembled Albus – on the days he let himself smile that widely. “You must be the boy who stole my Grandson’s heart,” she said, crossing the room quickly and placing her hands on his cheeks.

“Actually, I think he stole mine,” Scorpius said, feeling a lot more at ease than he expected to in the presence of the woman that Albus believed hung the moon. Then Scorpius remembered his manners (his dad would be scolding him right now). “It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs Weasley.” He held his hand out, but Mrs Weasley swatted it away and pulled him into a hug instead. Turns out not _just_ the Potters’ are huggers.

“Oh, honey, call me Grandma, everyone else does,” she said as she pulled away. She must have read Scorpius’ slightly terrified look and amended her statement. “Or call me Molly.” Scorpius lightly nodded, though he knew he wouldn’t. He didn’t want to come across impolite.

“And I’m Arthur,” Albus’ Grandpa said, coming up beside Mrs Weasley.

“Scorpius,” he introduced himself, holding his hand out again. Thankfully, Mr Weasley took his hand rather than pulling him into a hug. He thought maybe Mr Weasley was a little stiff with him compared to Mrs Weasley, but Scorpius could understand. They’d both been through two horrible generations of Malfoys, and no doubt more before Scorpius’ Grandfather, he couldn’t change their minds in two minutes.

“I’ll be off, have fun boys, I’ll see you on Christmas Eve,” Ginny said, giving them both a quick hug and then one to each of her parents before disappearing in the floo.

“So, what to do first?” Mrs Weasley asked. Albus came up beside Scorpius and took his hand.

“Baking?” Albus suggested hopefully. “Me and Scor will just take our bags to our room and come and join you?”

“That sounds wonderful,” Mrs Weasley said.

“Oh, and Granddad, I brought this and thought we could listen whilst we baked,” Albus picked the wooden box up from the table.

“What is that?” Scorpius asked.

“Let me show you,” Mr Weasley said, taking the box off Albus and walking into the kitchen, gesturing for Scorpius to follow. He didn’t question it and the four of them walked into the kitchen.

Mr Weasley set the box onto the dining table and opened it, revealing a disc of sorts inside. Mr Weasley moved the needle to on top of the disc and a song started playing, one Scorpius hadn’t heard before. His eyes widened, dropping the bag off his shoulder and pulling a chair out to sit on it.

“It’s a music player, that’s incredible!” He watched in fascination as the disc spun and needle moved alongside it as the song dragged on.

“The muggles call it a record player,” Mr Weasley explained. “I gifted it to Albus for Christmas last year and whenever I find a new vinyl I get it for him too.” Just then, the song cut out with a weird squeak and the needle picked itself up and went back to the beginning, the song started again.

“Oh, I brought those too,” Albus said, pulling his bag off his shoulder and plonking it on the table. Scorpius expected someone to shout at him – he certainly would have been shouted at – but no scolding came. Albus pulled out a dozen records and placed them across the table, picking one up entitled ‘David Bowie’ and went to open it when Mrs Weasley placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Go and get settled first, we have plenty of time to listen to that space rock song,” she said.

“Space _Oddity_ , Grandma,” Albus whined, rolling his eyes.

“All the same, go on.”

“Fine.” Albus put his bag back on his shoulder, leaving the records out, and offered his hand to Scorpius. Scorpius took it, picking up his bag and smiling at both Mr and Mrs Weasley before following Albus out of the room and up the stairs. There were quite a few floors up and Albus was explaining how many rooms there now were in the Burrow as everyone has their own kids and some of their kids are planning their own families too.

They were allowing the two boys to share a room, which Scorpius was thankful for. He wouldn’t be able to be in the same house as Albus but so far away from him, he had helped Scorpius so much with his nightmares and restless nights. He’d never been much of a sleeper – as his Mum and Dad never failed to remind him growing up – but it had gotten worse in recent years. But it was always a little easier with Albus, knowing he was there to ward off any demons he had.

The room was rather small, barely fitting in two single beds and a wardrobe, being vastly different to any room Scorpius had ever seen. He guessed all the rooms were this small due to the vast amount of Weasley’s that stayed here every year. But, strangely, Scorpius liked the cosiness of it, the warmth it provided. His room at the Manor was far too big and far too cold, especially in the winter months.

“Pick a bed,” Albus said, dumping his bag on the floor. Scorpius placed his gently beside it.

“How about we push them together?”

Albus smiled at him, “I knew I kept you around for a reason.”

“So, you _are_ using me for my brain? I knew it,” he dramatically stomped his foot and crossed his arms, only causing Albus to smile wider.

Albus slowly made his way over, unfolding Scorpius’ arms and placing his hands on Scorpius’ hips. “Not just your brain,” he whispered, closing the distance between them. As their lips met, Albus tugged him closer, the distance between them disappearing completely. Scorpius’ hands took refuge in Albus’ hair – his favourite place – whilst Albus’ explored the bare skin beneath Scorpius’ jumper.

“So, you want me for my brain _and_ my body?” Scorpius mumbled against Albus’ lips.

“I’ve got to take advantage of the full package,” he muttered back, placing another kiss to Scorpius’ lips as he did. “But, we should go downstairs,” Albus said reluctantly. Scorpius nodded, feeling cold when Albus pulled away from him.

“Wait,” Scorpius said, pulling him back. He took Albus’ glasses off, seeing the little bit of floo powder that had somehow stuck to them. He wondered how it wasn’t driving Albus crazy. With the bottom of his jumper, Scorpius wiped the glasses clean, holding them up to the light before placing them back on Albus’ face. “Better,” he whispered, leaning forward to peck his nose.

“Thank you.”

Scorpius smiled at him as Albus grabbed his hand and pulled him down the winding staircases of the Burrow, each step creaking beneath their socked feet. It would be impossible to sneak around this place, not that Scorpius wanted to sneak around anywhere, but he imagined it was hard for Albus’ cousins, all of whom had an affinity for pranks and mischief.

When they skidded back into the kitchen, Mrs Weasley was prepping all the ingredients as Mr Weasley put on one of Albus’ vinyls just in time for their arrival. Scorpius nearly skidded into Albus when he stopped abruptly and grinned at his Grandparents.

It was strange, Scorpius thought, to see Albus so hyperactive and _happy_. Not that he wasn’t usually happy, but his happiness usually came with something else, it was usually brought on by something. But this time there was no extra _something_. He felt at home, he felt warm, and that made him happy without needing any other reason. Scorpius could see why he liked it here, especially when it was just his Grandparents, because here he was Albus. He wasn’t Harry Potter’s Slytherin son, he wasn’t a disappointment, and he wasn’t the Slytherin squib. He had no expectations to live up to, no complicated spells to perform for a grade, no pressure. He was just a Grandson spending time with his Grandparents. Just Albus.

Out of all the versions of Albus, Scorpius liked Just Albus the most. It was the Albus he was when they were tucked away behind bedroom curtains with the lights dimmed and talking in low voices. The Albus when it was just them and he could be open and honest. The Albus that never felt the pressure of his family name. The Albus that accepted Scorpius for everything he was: every bad name, every dark magic association, every bad thing that made Scorpius feel worthless. Just Albus loved him despite all of that, he saw past it and loved the boy underneath it.

Scorpius only hoped his Grandparents loved him too.

It was the one thought running through his mind as Albus grabbed Mrs Weasley and twirled her around in a dance to the song playing on the record player. Scorpius shuffled awkwardly on his feet as he watched them, wringing his hands together. Mrs Weasley gently tickled Albus’ sides and clapped her hands together, a sure sign that she meant business.

“Cake!” She called out, beginning to busy herself with the ingredients.

“What kind of cake are we making?” Scorpius asked, if only to try and swallow the bubble of anxiety growing in his stomach.

“Albus told me your favourite is red velvet cake, and I certainly agree with you,” Mrs Weasley said.

Scorpius looked briefly to Albus. “We’re making my favourite?” He asked, his voice going annoyingly high in surprise.

“Of course we are,” Albus said, coming over and rolling up the sleeves of Scorpius’ jumper for him. Scorpius thanked him with a smile and went to wash his hands. “We’re also making mince pies, right Grandma? For when everyone comes on Christmas Eve.”

“Right you are, Albus.”

Scorpius waited for instruction, being unsure on where to put himself. Albus was perfectly happy with the beginning of the cake and Mrs Weasley started on the mince pies. Mr Weasley simply sat at the dining table reading the newspaper and switching over the vinyls when the songs came to an end. Scorpius ended up helping Albus crack the eggs into the bowl after he had dramatically failed with two eggs – one of them splattering to the floor.

“So, Scorpius, tells us a bit about yourself,” Mrs Weasley started, startling Scorpius slightly.

“Oh, I, erm…” he trailed off, unsure on what to say.

“Albus tells us you want to be a healer,” Mr Weasley input, saving him. Scorpius was relieved; this was something he knew he could talk about.

“Yes! I always have ever since I was little. I just find it really fascinating to learn medicine and the idea of being able to help people and save lives is something that I’ve always wanted to be able to do. I would also love to learn muggle medicine and maybe find ways to combine both muggle and magical healing processes to see if there’s any way we can find cures for diseases that we both struggle from. I think it will be extremely rewarding, especially being able to come home from the end of a work day and just say that I saved someone’s life that day.” He slowed down on the stirring of the mixture once he’d realised just _how_ much he’d been saying and that familiar bubble appeared in his chest. “Sorry, I know I speak too much sometimes.”

“No need to apologise, dear. That sounds wonderful. Would you mind passing the flour over?” Mrs Weasley said, and even though her words were kind, they did little to quell his growing fear. It was the one thing people hated about him most – how _annoying_ he was. He suppose by now he should have learnt to keep his mouth shut.

“Of course.” Scorpius handed Albus the wooden spoon and picked up the bag of flour off the side. He was halfway to Mrs Weasley when he tripped over his own foot, managing to salvage his own balance but dropping the bag of flour on the floor. The bag split, white powder covering the tiled flooring and a puff of white cloud blanketing the air.

The bubble of anxiety popped.

“I am so, so sorry, I’m such a clumsy mess sometimes and I really, really didn’t mean to do that and now it’s ruined and there’s a mess on your floor and I’m really sorry, Mrs Weasley,” he babbled, barely letting enough air into his lungs as he spoke.

The panic rose within him, cutting off his breathing supply.

 _I’ve messed up,_ he thought.

His mouth was moving and he was saying words but he had no idea what words he was saying, except that they were strained. Combined with being unable to get a breath in, Scorpius quickly spiralled into a full-blown panic attack.

There were hands on his hands and then a gust of fresh air hit his face. It was cold and bitter, nipping at his cheeks and ears. The hands on his suddenly became his only sense of warmth and Scorpius clung to it. The fresh air opened his lungs and the hands were his anchor and slowly he began to breathe again. It wasn’t until he had partly calmed that he realised Albus had been speaking the whole time, no doubt reciting a paragraph from Scorpius’ favourite book.

“Are you okay?” Albus asked once his breathing had returned to normal.

“I messed up, I’m sorry, Albus,” he spoke.

“What? Hey, no you didn’t, what makes you think that?” Albus had taken his cheeks in his hands and suddenly Scorpius didn’t feel so cold anymore.

“I talked too much and then I dropped the flour and then I panicked, they’re probably thinking ‘who the hell is this kid and why is he such a mess? He’s definitely not right for our Albus’,” Scorpius rambled. Albus laughed and Scorpius stepped away from him, folding his arms. “Stop laughing!”

“I’m sorry,” he chuckled. “I’m not laughing at you, I promise. And I also promise you they don’t hate you either. Grandma was trying to reassure you that it was okay but you were panicking too much to hear her. I promise you everything is okay,” Albus spoke with such determination to his words that Scorpius had no choice but to believe him.

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

Scorpius nodded, taking one last deep breath. Albus gently pecked him on the nose before smiling at him.

“Are you ready to go back inside?”

He was unable to find his voice, so he simply nodded again, swallowing the lump in his throat. He needed something to drink and his prayers were answered when they stepped back into the warm kitchen from the back porch and a glass of water was being handed to him by Mrs Weasley.

“Are you alright, dear?”

Scorpius took a couple of sips of the water. “Yes, thank you. I don’t know what brought that on,” he lied. He was still shaking and Mrs Weasley took the glass from him.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed about it, these things happen,” she explained in a kind voice. She rubbed his back slightly. “Come on; let’s get back, shall we?”

They got back to the baking process, talking about everything and anything and slowly Scorpius eased up again. There was no pressure to get involved, but eventually he felt like he could get involved without any extra judgement. When he and Albus had put the two parts to the red velvet cake into the oven (ready to be joined once baked and frosted) they moved to help Molly fill the mince pies.

“Do you bake a lot, Scorpius?” Molly asked, even though he was clearly struggling with the filling. Albus was too, and out the corner of his eye he saw Albus with his tongue stuck out in concentration, awkwardly using his elbow to push his glasses back onto his face.

“I used to with my mum, but not so much anymore,” Scorpius said. Albus stopped what he was doing to look at him, knowing that talking about his mum never got easier. Weirdly, though, Scorpius had learned to like talking about the best parts of her and he was slowly learning how to do it without crying.

“Dad’s a good cook, but for some reason he cannot bake for the life of him,” Scorpius continued, laughing slightly. “So, we don’t do it anymore. We tried once, on mum’s birthday after it… happened, but we ended up with burnt cupcakes and a very messy kitchen and after that we decided that baking was mum’s thing.”

“What happened to her – to you – is tragic,” Mrs Weasley whispered, so quietly that Scorpius barely caught it. The air around them quietened, the song fading into the background. He couldn’t help but think how much his mum would love to be there in that moment, baking and listening to music. She’d have been in her element.

“Grandma,” Albus warned.

“It’s okay,” Scorpius said to Albus. “I’m slowly learning to remember her for all the great things, rather than the sad ones caused by her illness.” They lapsed into silence, a thousand unspoken words in the air. “Actually,” Scorpius continued, looking from the floor to Mrs Weasley, eyes flicking between her and her husband. “I wanted to thank you for allowing me to come. I know my family has caused yours a lot of trouble in the past, my dad included, and I know how hard it must be to overlook that. Merlin knows the rest of the Wizarding world have trouble.”

As a surprise to Scorpius, it was Mr Weasley who spoke up. “You’re right, we’ve had our fair share of troublesome Malfoys,” Scorpius tried not to wince, “but our Albus has always been an excellent judge of character, and it would be unfair to judge you based on your father. Besides, we knew the Greengrasses, they were always more pleasant. And your mother was always very kind.”

Scorpius gaped. “You knew my mum?”

“We did,” Mrs Weasley confirmed. “In fact it was your mum that made us forgive Draco for everything he’d done.”

“Wha- how?”

“Scorpius, are you sure you want to know?” Albus asked, though he sounded just as curious himself. Scorpius nodded frantically, so Mrs Weasley led them both over to the table after putting the mince pies in the oven.

Mrs Weasley took hold of Scorpius’ hands across the table as she spoke. “During the Battle of Hogwarts, I came across a Slytherin student crying in the corner. I was quite shocked, as you know the Slytherin students were sent to the dungeons, yet one had not gone down there. She had been injured in a fight, her arm was bleeding pretty badly, so I concealed us and I healed her. Many assumed because of the colour of her robes that she was fighting for Voldemort, but she was on our side. Once she was healed, I asked her name and she said-”

“Astoria,” Scorpius whispered, a statement, not a question. His mum’s name felt foreign on his lips, it’d been so long since he’d last said it. Molly nodded ever so slightly.

“I never got to speak to her for long, but I could see right away the fierce kindness in her heart. She had gone against everything and fought for what she believed in at such a young age. She came to me after the aftermath and thanked me for helping her. She was a bright soul, even back then, and I see a lot of that in you, too.”

Scorpius smiled, blinking back a couple of tears. He didn’t want to cry, but this was everything. His parents never spoke about the war; they always tried to avoid it. Whatever Scorpius knew, he’d learnt from history books, apart from a few things that his dad had told him when he was younger. He had no idea his mum was involved in the battle, he assumed she was with the other Slytherins, the ones that didn’t fight, but she wasn’t. She fought for the light, and that revelation only added to the wonderful memories and love he had for his mum.

He pulled his hands away from Molly to wipe a couple of stray tears from his face and muttered an apology.

“You don’t ever have to apologise for missing her,” Mr Weasley said.

“So, what did she do that made you forgive my dad?” He asked, sniffling slightly. Mr Weasley conjured a handkerchief for him and he took it gratefully.

“After the war we lost contact, naturally, everyone was trying to heal. It was about four or five years later that we saw in the Prophet that she had married Draco Malfoy, against both of their families permission.” Scorpius smiled at that, he’d known they defied their families - who both disapproved of the marriage for their own reasons - because their love was that strong. “And I thought that there was no way a girl that kind and so passionate in her beliefs that she fought a war she never had to fight in would marry someone like Draco Malfoy.”

“But she did,” Mr Weasley continued, “and they looked incredibly happy and it was only pictures but we could tell it was love.”

“You changed your opinion on my dad because my mum fell in love with him?” Scorpius asked, furrowing his brows a little.

“Someone as kind as she could never fall in love with the person we thought Draco was, and therefore it meant he had a side that no one knew.”

“Dad was just a kid in the war and forced to do things he never wanted to do,” Scorpius explained, and they nodded along with him. Molly squeezed his hands fondly just as the timer they’d set went off, notifying them that the red velvet cake was ready to come out of the oven.

“That’s the thing about the war,” Molly said as she hopped from her seat and grabbed the oven gloves. “There were too many kids involved and they were all expected to do things kids should never have to do.”

“Like save the world,” Scorpius said.

“Or be forced to help destroy it,” Albus inputted.

Mr Weasley folded his newspaper. “Enough about that, time has moved on and so should we, your parents proved that,” he said to Scorpius with a smile.

“Granddad’s right,” Molly said. “Scorpius, honey, would you come and help me, the icing is in the top cupboard and you’re much taller than me.”

Scorpius obliged, reaching up to the top cupboard to get the icing out. They had to wait for the cake bases to cool before mixing the icing together and joining the two bases together. Whilst Scorpius helped Molly with that, Albus got the mince pies out of the oven to cool and then entered a conversation with his Grandpa about something Scorpius wasn’t listening to. He was too busy joking about with Molly.

She put a little bit of icing on his nose as they decorated, emitting a loud laugh from him that he, for once, didn’t feel the need to reign in. He could see Albus watching him from the corner of his eye and for a brief moment, Scorpius caught his eyes and instinctively smiled brighter.

Once the cake was beautifully decorated (both he and Molly were perfectionists and neither Albus nor Mr Weasley was willing to get in their way) they settled down in the living room to play a game of Exploding Snap. Which was fun, until Arthur and Albus got incredibly competitive and Molly decided to call an end to the shenanigans.

“Right, before I send you and Albus off to pick up a takeaway,” Molly started, standing up. Scorpius had no idea he and Albus were going to get a takeaway but he never questioned it. “I have something for you, Scorpius. Well, from me and Arthur.”

“Me?”

“Albus tells us it was your birthday yesterday,” she beamed.

“Sixteen is a big one,” Arthur added.

Before Molly could be subject to any of Scorpius’ many questions, she had disappeared into the kitchen for a few moments. Both Arthur and Albus shrugged at him, pretending they had no clue what was going on, but the small smile on Albus’ lips suggested he knew exactly what was going on.

Moments later, Molly returned with the red velvet perfectly decorated cake they’d made with sixteen flamed candles in the top. They – thankfully – didn’t sing. Molly put the cake in front of him with a beam on her face – the one that matched Albus’.

“Happy birthday, my dear. I know you helped bake it, but I thought you might like that,” she said.

Scorpius was stuck for words. No one had ever done something so thoughtful for him before. In fact, he hasn’t had a birthday cake made for him since his mum died – or a birthday cake at all. Tears welled up in his eyes but he tried to blink them away; he’d done enough crying for today.

“Thank you, Mr and Mrs Weasley,” he whispered, fearing to talk any louder for fear of his voice wobbling. Molly rolled her eyes, reminding him once again that ‘Molly’ and ‘Arthur’ was just fine or even ‘Grandma’ and ‘Granddad’ if he wished.

“Don’t forget to make a wish,” Arthur reminded. Scorpius nodded, leaning forward and blowing out all of the candles in one go, thinking of a wish in his head as he did. He knew that as soon as they were alone that Albus would ask what his wish was, but Scorpius wouldn’t tell. It wouldn’t come true if he told.

Scorpius wanted to hug Molly and Arthur as a thank you, but as he stood he lost his confidence. Instead he simply thanked them once again, to which Molly hugged him anyway when he barely spluttered out his gratitude without crying. Arthur wished him a happy birthday and a pat on the back.

After a long afternoon of baking and playing games, Molly gave Albus some muggle money and sent them off to Diagon Alley through the floo. From there were would go through the Leaky Cauldron and into muggle London, venturing to a fish and chip shop to pick up dinner for the four of them. Takeaways weren’t a thing in the Malfoy house, so when Albus asked what he wanted all he could do was shrug.

“I’ll get you what I’m having,” he spoke fondly, kissing him on the cheek. He was worried, for a moment, that only fish would be available, but Albus reassured him that was not the case.

Once ordering and paying, the boys collected the food and walked hand-in-hand back to the Leaky Cauldron, using the floo fireplace back to the Burrow and the four of them sat in the kitchen over their food and talking about school. They spoke about their O.W.Ls that was approaching and how they were already drowning in assignments and overflowing with revision.

Once they’d finished, they each had a slice of cake with a hot chocolate and settled in the living room, bundled in blankets with the television playing in the background. After a long argument on what to watch, they settled on a quiz show that Arthur and Albus were rather found of. Scorpius threw his legs over Albus’ and settled into his side, feeling a little bit tired from a day full of activity.

He wasn’t sure on the name of the show, but Scorpius got quite into it. It was a chance for him to show off the useless knowledge he had stored in his brain. At first he only answered the questions in his head, but when Albus, Molly and Arthur all started answering out loud, he slowly joined in. Though, he never wanted to correct someone if they got it wrong, so only then stayed quiet.

“The word ‘mesonoxian’ refers to what time of day?” The television asked.

“Midnight,” Scorpius replied before any of the options showed up. Albus nudged him, rolling his eyes and muttering ‘good guess’, as the television confirmed Scorpius answer as correct. Scorpius nudged him back with his shoulder.

“Bet you won’t get the next one correct,” Albus challenged.

“What’s the more common title for Edvard Munch’s painting The Cry?” Came the next question. Scorpius could feel Albus’ Grandma and Grandpa’s eyes on him as the options came up on the screen. Scorpius knew it, he and his parents had once visited the National Art Gallery before Astoria got too sick.

“Upset Man,” Albus guessed from the four options. Scorpius shot him an incredulous look before answering himself.

“The Scream,” Scorpius corrected, seconds before the television confirmed it.

“You’re not allowed to play anymore,” Albus sulked, pulling a pillow from under him and shoving it in Scorpius’ face. He let out a strangled scream as he fell backwards and Albus climbed on top of him, pinning him to the sofa and tickling his sides. Scorpius thrashed underneath him, begging him to stop but Albus never relented.

Once he’d exhausted himself, Albus grabbed the pillow that had fallen onto the floor and started repeatedly hitting him. Scorpius somehow managed to grab the pillow and held it away from him, feeling hot and flustered, knowing his cheeks were ridiculously red and his hair was no doubt a mess.

“I won’t hit you,” Scorpius said through deep breaths, “but only because it’ll break your glasses and hurt your pretty face.”

Albus grinned wickedly, making Scorpius’ heart pound more.

“Albus Severus, get that look out of your eye.”

“Scorpius Hyperion, get that pillow out of your hands.”

“And give it to you? No way!”

Just then, the pillow was snatched from his hands and Scorpius looked to see Arthur holding it with a childlike grin. Scorpius expected Arthur to take it away from the completely. He did not, however, expect him to throw the pillow back at Scorpius with a chuckle, followed by Albus quickly snatching it back and high-fiving his Grandpa.

Scorpius gaped at them both, only recovering from his shock once hearing Albus giggle – a sound that brightened his entire world, even when he was laughing at him.

“If I’d have known I’d have been teamed up against, I wouldn’t have come,” Scorpius moped, crossing his arms. He was still in his incredibly vulnerable position of Albus sitting on top of him.

“Don’t worry, Scorpius, you have me on your team,” Molly said fondly.

Scorpius turned his head to look at her with a smile. “Thank you, Molly.”

“And get off him, Albus,” Molly scolded, causing Scorpius to giggle slightly. Albus mumbled something he didn’t quite catch, settling back into his seat and folding his arms in a sulk. Scorpius sat back up, running a hand through his hair and reaching over to straighten Albus’ glasses that had, once again, fallen askew. Albus huffed but never protested further.

Scorpius kissed his cheek and grinned at him before settling back down, cuddling into his side – his rightful place, in Scorpius’ opinion.

He wasn’t sure how long they watched different television shows for, speaking over the television most the time instead of actually paying attention to the screen. They retreated to bed closer to midnight after getting lost in long conversation and they pushed the two single beds together, curling up against the other and drifting into a lulled sleep.

#

_3:34 AM._

In the dark room, all he could see was the digital clock flashing green, reading: _3:34 AM._

Then the ticking started.

_Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock._

A constant noise growing louder and louder, repeating like clockwork and even though he swore many minutes had passed, that digital clock read the exact same time.

3:34 AM.

A light flashed in the corner, red and bright. Then again. And again. Over and over, and slowly the room came into view, the red flashing light the only thing showing him where he was.

A big room filled with a thousand different clocks. All ticking away, creating a cluster of ticks and tocks, merging together inside his brain, whirring constantly like an irritating fly in the summer time. There were big clocks, small clocks, pocket watches and wrist watches, digital clocks, auditory clocks, analogue clocks. Hundreds and hundreds. Some were the same, some were different.

And they all had a different time.

All accept two.

A gonging sounded in the room, loud and heavy like a drum in a marching band. He turned to the grandfather clock in the centre of the room and there it read: 3:34.

Exactly the same as the digital clock that first caught his eyes and somehow he knew exactly what he had to do.

He worked his way around the room, setting each of the different clocks to 3:34 AM.

Then the ticking got faster, time was running out and he wasn’t finished. He would never finish, there was simply not enough time in the world. Then, the ticking stopped.

And Scorpius Malfoy woke in his bed with the arms of his boyfriend wrapped around him and the chill from the slightly cracked window washing over him. Goosebumps rose on his arms, a shiver going down his spine. He blinked the sleepiness away, still hearing the distant ticking that he knew was just a part of his memory.

The room was still fairly dark, though his eyes adjusted rather quickly. Those dreams never scared him anymore. They used to terrify him, keep him up all night thinking about what it could possibly mean. Though he’d never figured it out. He assumed it was his brain’s way of telling him that he was running out of time, even when right now, time was on his side for once.

He struggled out of Albus’ grip, being careful not to wake him so he wouldn’t worry about him. He slipped his feet into a pair of slippers and grabbed Albus’ jumper that had been lazily shrugged off at the bottom of the bed and pulled it on. Then he slowly slipped out of the room and padded gently down the stairs, trying to avoid the heavy creaking floorboards. Lying in bed after a bad dream was never something he could do. He needed to walk around, read a couple chapters of a book, anything to get his mind from the ticking and the overwhelming fear that he was running out of time.

Time had never been something on Scorpius’ side. When he was younger all he could think about was how much time he had left with his mum, then it was how much time until his dream about going to Hogwarts would be ruined. He always wondered if his and Albus’ friendship had a time limit, or if time would take his dad like it had his mum.

Time. It was a fickle and frail thing.

They say the beat of a butterflies wing could create a whirlwind storm miles and miles away. A single moment, a millisecond, one beat of a heart and the world is suddenly remarkably different. A simple dance makes two children not exist in the future; a death that seems unremarkable changes the fate of the world as we know it in time to come.

Time. So easily broken, so difficult to be repaired.

As Scorpius sat on the singular armchair near the window, watching the snowflakes slowly fall – a rapid change in weather overnight – he thought that perhaps his dream wasn’t about running out of time. Perhaps it was about setting time right. He’d had this niggling thought since he returned from time that something wasn’t completely right. There were now four new spells in the past that hadn’t been performed before, not including that fateful night in Godrics Hollow. Surely, he thought, that had messed time up somewhere along the line.

But he could never figure out how. On the outside, things seemed normal. Maybe they were. Maybe time had been set right and nothing had changed. Maybe it was the inside that was different; Scorpius himself. Time had changed him, made him more cautious, anxious, careful. He never did anything now without carefully considering the consequences. Spontaneity had never been his thing, but on the train that first day of fourth-year he made a spontaneous decision to follow his best friend to the end of the world. And instead, they nearly destroyed it.

And maybe in doing so he’d destroyed himself. Put himself in the firing line and let Delphi pull the trigger, creating holes that couldn’t be fixed and cracks that cannot be mended. Splintering his world and fracturing his sanity. And all of it was for nothing. They never saved anyone, not Cedric; not Craig. They ruined more lives than they fixed, including their own. Even after setting time right.

If, that is, they did set time right.

“Sickle for your thoughts?”

Scorpius jumped a mile at the sound of Albus’ voice. He was standing right next to the armchair Scorpius had curled up on, but Scorpius hadn’t heard him enter. The armchair was barely big enough for the two of them, but they just managed to fit on it together. Albus somehow wormed his way underneath Scorpius, so Scorpius was more on his lap rather than the chair. Not that he was complaining.

“You weren’t in bed, I got worried,” he mumbled into Scorpius’ neck before gently placing a kiss there.

“Bad dream,” Scorpius replied, keeping his eyes fixed on the snow falling outside, thousands of little snowflakes drifting peacefully. He wondered if a simple snowflake landing in a certain place could cause ripples in time the same way a butterflies wing could.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Scorpius turned from the window to look at Albus, his messy hair falling carelessly over his forehead, almost spilling over his glasses and blocking his forest green eyes that were barely evident in the low lighting of the living room. He was still recovering from sleep, and Scorpius could make a sure bet that he walked down here with his eyes closed to saviour as much amount of sleep as possible. It’s sweet, he thought, that even though he was very tired, Scorpius’ safety meant so much more.

Gently, Scorpius kissed the tip of his nose. “Not right now,” he mumbled. He hadn’t yet told Albus about this particular recurring dream and what he thought it meant. Voicing it out loud meant somehow making it real and he didn’t want that. “Talk to me about something else.”

Albus snaked his arms around Scorpius’ waist, tugging him protectively closer and nestling his head further into the crook of his neck. Scorpius melted into him, feeling safe and secure in his arms, knowing there was no place he’d rather be in the entire world.

“They really like you, you know?” Albus said, voice low and croaky from sleep.

“Who?”

“Grandma and Granddad,” he clarified.

“How do you know?”

“I can tell, in the way they look at you and speak to you. There’s a fondness there that they save only for their Grandchildren.”

Scorpius began tracing light circles on Albus’ chest. “But, I’m not their Grandchild.”

“No,” Albus whispered, briefly kissing his neck. “But you love one of them and that’s as good as.” Scorpius placed a gentle finger under Albus’ chin and brought his face up to look at him before slowly leaning down and placing a kiss on his lips. The weird haze he’d been in since waking up from that dream shattered, bringing him slowly back to reality. All with a simple chaste kiss that looked like nothing from the outside, but meant everything on the inside.

“They meant what they said,” Albus spoke when they disconnected, “about calling them Grandma and Granddad, if you want to.”

“How would you feel about that?”

“Me?” He stopped to think for a moment. “I’d like it. It makes you feel like part of the family and that’s how I want you to feel because you _are_ my family.”

“Have I ever told you that I love you?” Scorpius said, a teasing smile growing on his lips.

“Once or twice,” Albus teased back as he craned his head for another kiss.

“Then I simply must tell you a-thousand-and-one more times.” He brought their lips together. “I love you.”

#

“I’ll be honest,” came a voice, waking him from his slumber, “this isn’t how I expected to find you two this morning.” The voice was the fond, warming tone of his Grandma. Albus opened his eyes to see her standing over them with a smile on her lips and she reached down to stroke a hand through his hair. “Was your bed not good enough?”

Albus smiled softly, shuffling out from underneath Scorpius as gently as possible so he wouldn’t wake him. He knew that Scorpius hadn’t fallen asleep until long after Albus had, even though they spent a lot of time talking about everything and nothing all at once. Once free from his grip, Albus stood, grabbing his glasses off the windowsill where Scorpius had put them the night before (probably after he fell asleep as Albus does not remember such interaction) and followed his Grandma into the kitchen, where his Granddad was sipping a tea.

“He had a bad dream,” Albus explained as he took a seat at the kitchen table. “And he can’t sleep after bad dreams so we came down here to talk it off and I guess we fell asleep.” His Grandma placed a coffee in front of him.

“Is he alright now, dear?”

“Yeah, erm, he’ll be okay,” Albus assured.

“Of course he will,” His Granddad spoke up, looking at Albus over his newspaper. “He’s a strong kid and a good one, make sure you keep him, Albus.”

Albus smiled widely at his Granddad and he winked back at him. “I will, Granddad.” It was nice to hear that they really did love him, even though Albus could tell with a simple look. It meant a lot to him and he knew it meant a lot to Scorpius too. Scorpius’ own Grandparents weren’t the best – to put it mildly – and Albus could only hope that he felt just as at home and comfortable here as he did.

Albus leaned over to put the record player on a low volume, the sounds of David Bowie filling the kitchen as he watched the snow continue to fall outside. It had started in the early morning and continued to fall, now a blanket of snow over the ground just in time for Christmas in two days. He cradled his coffee to his chest, letting the warmth fill him up and the caffeine wake him from his sleepy daze.

His Grandma pottered around the kitchen to prepare breakfast as Albus engaged in a conversation with his Granddad about something in the newspaper that he wasn’t all that interested in. He didn’t hear anyone else enter the kitchen until Scorpius spoke up.

“Morning,” he mumbled shyly. Albus turned to him with a bright smile, watching him stand awkwardly in the doorway, wringing the sleeves of Albus’ jumper (that he _stole!)_ in his hands and shuffling awkwardly on his feet. He’d just woken up and his hair was a mess and he was blinking a lot to brush away the sleep in his eyes and in Albus’ jumper he looked so small and he was the most beautiful thing in the entire world.

“Scorpius, good morning!” His Grandma gushed, going over quickly to hug him and plant a kiss on his head. “Take a seat; I’m just preparing breakfast, would you like a cup of tea?”

Scorpius took the seat next to Albus, not that he had much of a choice as his Grandma led him there and practically forced him to sit.

“Yes, please, erm, Molly,” he stuttered slightly over her name, unsure if he was still allowed to call it her, but smiled and relaxed when Molly fondly squeezed his shoulders. Albus’ Grandma made Scorpius a cup of tea and placed it in front of him, telling him to use as much sugar and milk as he likes.

“Don’t tell him that, Grandma,” Albus said. “He’ll use it all.”

Scorpius gaped at him. “I’m not that bad!”

“How many sugars is it?” Albus asked, though he knew exactly how many it was. “Four, correct?”

“You’ll rot your teeth with that many,” his Granddad lightly scolded.

“I have a sweet tooth!” Scorpius protested. “I get it from Mum, she says _sweets, they always help you make friends_ ,” he sang, flushing red in embarrassment after realising he _sung_ it. But his Grandparents were only smiling fondly at Scorpius.

Grandma piped up, “and your Mother is correct.”

Grandma finished breakfast and laid it out on the table – with Scorpius’ help as he insisted – and they all sat and made low conversation whilst they ate. Granddad offered to take them out to the shed after breakfast, which is the place where he kept all of his muggle gadgets that he found on various raids or in muggle vintage shops. Scorpius enthusiastically agreed to Albus’ delight, he loved learning and would never miss an opportunity to do so.

After breakfast, he and Scorpius made their way back up to Albus’ room to get changed and ready for the day. Albus settled on a simple jumper and jogging bottoms, a thick pair of woolly socks to go underneath his wellington boots when they went outside. His coat, scarf and gloves were downstairs ready and Albus reminded Scorpius to wear his as well. He wanted some time outside just the two of them in the snow after they’d been to Granddad’s shed.

When Albus turned around to see Scorpius also in a pair of joggers, his breath stopped short in his throat. He was so used to seeing Scorpius in ridiculously tight jeans a slim-fitted t-shirts or jumpers, so seeing him look relaxed and _at home_ in joggers made his heart clench. That, combined with a simple black t-shirt underneath a cotton burgundy cardigan that was slightly too big for him just about sent him over the edge.

He couldn’t help himself when he closed the distance between them, hands fisted in Scorpius’ cardigan and he brought him as close as possible. His lips found their home on Scorpius’ as he kissed him with all the passion he had buried deep within, forcing every single ounce of love into it. He backed Scorpius against the wall, not daring to break the kiss for even a second. Scorpius tilted his head slightly to deepen the kiss, tangling his fingers into Albus’ hair and tugging lightly on the ends.

“You’re… so… beautiful,” Albus mumbled between kissing. He never dared pull away long enough to get the words out in one sentence. He felt Scorpius smile against his lips which broke them slightly. Albus tried to kiss him again to get them back in a rhythm, but Scorpius’ smile had widened considerably so and he looked down to try and hide the blush appearing on his cheeks. “I mean it.”

Scorpius looked back up, the smile decreased to a smaller one. “I have no idea what I did to deserve someone as beautiful and kind as you, but I’m glad I did,” Scorpius spoke, planting one last kiss on Albus’ lips which was much too short and much too quick.

Downstairs, Albus’ Granddad called them, meaning their moment of bliss was sadly interrupted. He kissed Scorpius one last time before taking a hold of his hand and leading him downstairs. Granddad was waiting for them in the kitchen, all bundled up and ready to face the cold in the short walk to the shed. Both boys dressed in their coats, scarves and gloves before leaving the kitchen – and Grandma, who was finishing up the Weasley jumpers for this year – for the bitter cold.

Granddad was ahead of them, excitedly talking about a few various artefacts he was excited to show them and Scorpius was practically bouncing up and down, buzzing with excitement himself. Inside the shed, Scorpius’ eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. He looked around in wonder before back at Albus, giggling slightly as he noticed Albus’ glasses had become fogged up from the dramatic change in temperature. Usually, Scorpius would cast a spell to stop that from happening, but as they were outside of school neither boy was allowed to use magic.

Scorpius slowly plucked Albus’ glasses from his face and wiped the steam from them using his gloved hand. He held them up to inspect them, rubbing them down once more before placing them back on Albus’ face with a fond smile. Albus couldn’t help the stupid smile on his face, knowing it was so wide it crinkled his eyes and slightly pushed his glasses up his face.

Then Scorpius was off, excitedly looking at different artefacts with such wonder and awe before quickly moving on, as though time would run out and he wouldn’t get to them all in time. Both Albus and his Granddad watched him fondly, answering a few questions when Scorpius asked them.

Albus let himself wonder around too, still in awe of all the wonderful things his Granddad had collected over the years even though he’d seen it all multiple times. This was his favourite place in the entire world. This was the place he ran to after that argument with his dad last year, the place he went whenever a house full of Weasley’s got too much. It was his safe house, and he was immensely grateful to be able to share it with Scorpius.

“And what does it do?” He heard Scorpius ask softly and he turned away from the collection of muggle pens he’d acquired, dating back to the first invention of the pen, to see them both standing over something. Granddad towered over Scorpius, even though they both were rather tall, and he had his hand on his back.

“It writes!” Granddad said excitedly. “Let me find a piece of paper,” he fiddled around with something before finding what he was looking for. Albus stayed back, not wanting to interrupt their moment. “We just pop it in there and then -” there was a clicking noise “- and it shows up on the paper. A genius invention, much more efficient than writing I might add.”

“It makes you wonder why Wizards don’t take more advantage of muggle technology,” Scorpius said. “Like mobile phones, they are a much more efficient way of getting in contact with someone, especially in an emergency. I keep trying to get my dad to buy me one, but he so far he has not given in.”

“Ooh, I have one of those,” Granddad said excitedly, opening a draw and rummaging through it. “It’s an old one, mind you, but still exciting to look at. I’ve been trying to use magic to get it to work rather than the muggle way, but so far I’ve been pretty unsuccessful.”

“This is amazing,” Scorpius said, inspecting the phone. He found the button to turn it on and waited for it to load up. “I say I want one, but I have no idea what I’d do with it, Albus would have to get one too so we could talk all the time without waiting for owls. Though, owls do a great job and I thank them for their service.”

“I’ll keep a look out for you,” Granddad said, earning a small wondrous smile from Scorpius.

“Oh, Mr Weas- Arthur, you don’t have to do that.”

“Anything for you, my boy,” Granddad said as he rubbed Scorpius’ back. Albus’ heart clenched. His Granddad only ever called Albus ‘my boy’, and now he was extending that nickname to Scorpius, a sure sign that he loved him too, just as Albus had hoped.

He wondered, sometimes, how people could _not_ like him. Scorpius was a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, a burst of fresh air whenever the world got too muggy. Just his presence could change Albus’ very bad day to a great one, and the touch of a hand spirals him into a whole other dimension of happiness.

They spent the morning looking around the room, explaining all the different types of artefacts or collections his Granddad had built up over the years. That look of wonder never left Scorpius’ face, it only grew as time went on and he discovered more and more things. Albus could practically see him grasping on to every last bit of information, desperate to retain everything for future reference.

His boyfriend was such a dork and he wouldn’t change him for the world.

It was Grandma calling them in for lunch that made all three of them realised the morning had passed very quickly – much quicker than Albus would have liked – and they retreated back to house for cheese toasties.

There was one way that Albus could tell Scorpius was becoming comfortable with people, and that was when he couldn’t be quiet. Throughout lunch, he spoke to Albus’ Grandma about everything in Granddad’s shed, eyes alight with a fire and passion that Albus seldom saw anymore. He spoke so fast, like he wouldn’t get his words out in time. Albus looked on with a fond smile, feeling his heart grow with love every second that passed. He didn’t think he could love Scorpius anymore than he already does, but then he gets proven wrong every day.

After lunch, he and Scorpius went back outside for a short while to play in the snow, getting themselves tangled up in a pretty intense snowball fight that ended with them both shivering on the floor. Albus was spread out on top of Scorpius, trying to retain as much body heat as possible. His boyfriend’s face was flushed red from the cold and exhilaration and it was then they both decided to call it quits and head inside.

Scorpius kept insisting he won the fight, so Albus threw one last snowball at his face for good measure before they entered the house. They raced upstairs and Albus kindly let Scorpius use the shower first (as his boyfriend did not bode well in the cold and definitely needed warming up more than he did). Once they were both showered and dressed back in comfy clothing, they retreated downstairs.

“Hey Grandma,” Albus greeted, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. His Grandma was sat close to the fire knitting the Christmas jumpers, she only had a few left to get through, but with Christmas Eve tomorrow it meant she had to finish them today.

“Would you like some help?” Scorpius asked as he sat down. “Mum taught me how to knit when I was younger, I don’t know if I still remember but I could lend a hand.”

“That would be great, my dear. Let me just finish this off and I’ll get a spare set of knitting needles for you,” Grandma said.

“Oh, I’ll get them,” Albus said, standing up and going over to the cupboard where she kept her knitting equipment. Albus had helped her last year and had a small amount of knowledge. Maybe if he and Scorpius put together they could combine their skills.

“Who do you have left?” He heard Scorpius ask as he rummaged through the cupboard.

“James, Lily, little Molly and I’m just finishing up Louis now,” she listed off. “I’m struggling on colours if I’m honest, too many Grandchildren and not enough colours in the world,” she laughed. Albus gathered the knitting equipment and retreated back to the sofa, taking a seat next to Scorpius who was observing the various coloured wools spread out on the coffee table.

His eyes lit up when he found the one he’d clearly been looking for. “This one for James,” he announced, plucking a lilac roll of wool out of the selection.

“Lilac?” Albus asked, his brows furrowed, making his glasses move on his face.

“Come on, James would look really good in a lilac jumper, like really good.”

“Uh oh, should I be jealous?” Albus teased, earning a good-natured shove from Scorpius. “Fine, you’re right, James would look good in that,” he huffed.

Scorpius grinned. “Are you actually jealous?”

“No.”

“You are! Aw, you know I only have eyes for you.” He blew Albus a kiss.

“Alright kids, enough flirting and more knitting,” Grandma teased, tapping her needles together. “I agree with the lilac for James though, Scorpius, good spot. You’ve clearly got a keen eye.” Scorpius beamed proudly.

Albus let Scorpius set up the knitting needle and pretty much take control on the entire thing. They worked off a template of one Grandma Molly had already done, slowly going through the process and making sure they were getting it right. They had James’ measurements in front of them, as well as a magical tape measure set up to follow them along the making process. Grandma kept laughing at them whenever they got into a little argument if Scorpius nearly went wrong and they would bicker at each other for absolutely no reason.

“Scorpius, you’re gonna go too far!” Albus protested, placing his hands over Scorpius’ to stop the action.

“I’m not, Albus! I can read the measurements, you’re the one with glasses, not me,” he retorted.

“I can read too, they help me do that, remember?”

“Then read properly,” was Scorpius’ brilliant reply. Albus rolled his eyes and decided to let him get on with it, knowing he wasn’t going to win this argument. To his annoyance, it turns out Scorpius was right anyway.

“Okay, boys, I’ve finished Louis’, what do we think?” Grandma asked, holding up a royal blue knitted jumper with the letter L on the front.

“It’s wonderful,” Scorpius complimented.

“It’s great, Grandma,” Albus added. Grandma Molly beamed at her work, folding the jumper up neatly and wrapping it up using magic ready for Louis to open, levitating it over to the Christmas tree and placing it underneath with the rest of them.

“So, which colour for little Molly?” It always made Albus laugh how everyone referred to his cousin as ‘little Molly’, even though she’d recently turned sixteen and was now far from little. Molly was the only other Weasley child to have made it into Slytherin with Albus, and the two of them being in the same year took a little pressure off having to tell the parents. However, it wasn’t until this year that Albus and Scorpius finally opened up and started speaking with her, which Albus was grateful for. Scorpius and Molly got on like a house on fire.

“Yellow,” Scorpius said immediately, before scanning the rolls of wool to make sure there was a yellow.

“Yellow?” Grandma questioned.

“It’s Molly’s favourite colour at the moment, like a mustardy yellow.”

“I have that,” Grandma said, plucking the exact colour Scorpius suggested from the pile. As she worked on Molly’s, Scorpius and Albus turned back to James’ and began working once again.

Grandma Molly had finished Molly’s by the time Albus and Scorpius even got halfway with James’ and they all took a quick break for dinner before heading straight back into it. This time Albus’ Granddad joined them, but he was sat watching some Christmas film on the television rather than actually helping.

Both Albus and Scorpius decided a hot pink wool would be best for Lily’s jumper when Grandma asked their opinion. Lily would absolutely love it and Albus had to make sure of that as she was so fond of wearing her Weasley jumper all year round.

Scorpius let out a frustrated growl when a particular part of James’ jumper wasn’t going right and put the half-completed jumper and knitting needles in Albus’ lap. He stood quickly, brushing off some excess wool that had littered his clothing before speaking. “Would you like a tea, Grandma?”

Albus almost choked on his own spit, and his Grandma looked just as shocked before a wide beam appeared on her face. Even Scorpius looked shocked at the words tumbling from his mouth, but quickly relaxed when he saw the smile on Grandma Molly’s face. Albus knew he would be freaking out on the inside, so he reached up and squeezed his hand gently, letting him know that everything would be okay.

“I would love one, thank you, Scorpius,” she said, reaching over to grab hold of his other hand.

“Okay, Al?”

“Coffee, please.”

“I’ll help you out,” Granddad said, standing from his chair with a grunt before following Scorpius out of the living room.

Albus watched them leave before turning to his Grandma, playing with a loose piece of thread on James’ jumper. “You don’t mind him calling you that, do you?” He asked, keeping his voice low.

“Of course not, dear. If anything, I’m glad he feels comfortable to do so, I didn’t think he ever would after yesterday,” she giggled slightly and they both remembered the awkward, gangly boy who insisted on being polite whenever he addressed them. Albus didn’t expect Scorpius to make that step either, but he’s so proud that he did. He wanted Scorpius to feel at home where he feels at home the most, and Albus is immensely grateful to both his Grandparents for helping him in feeling like that.

Scorpius and Granddad returned with three teas and Albus’ coffee and set them on the coffee table. Scorpius took the wool and needles back off Albus and tried again with James’ jumper. It took them both to figure out where he went wrong, having to undo a few of the threads and try again, but eventually – with a little bit of teamwork – they got back on track.

They sipped on their teas whilst they worked away, being careful not to spill any over the jumper. Once they were finished, they held their creation up proudly as Grandma Molly complimented them both on their hard work. Albus could only hope James wouldn’t mind that it was knitted by them rather than their Grandma, but he would sure love it either way.

They settled on the sofa to watch another Christmas film whilst Grandma Molly finished Lily’s jumper. Scorpius had curled into a ball and was resting his head on Albus’ lap, a blanket wrapped around him, pulled right up to his face. Albus was stroking a gentle hand through his hair and the way his breathing slowed to a calming level told Albus he had fallen asleep. Albus kept up his action though, whilst his other hand was clasped firmly between Scorpius’ and held to his chest.

“I think we tired him out,” Granddad said, noting Scorpius asleep on his lap.

Albus smiled down at him. “He didn’t sleep well last night. He doesn’t sleep well very often. Usually if he’s asleep, I try to keep it that way because Merlin knows he needs it.”

“He’s a good one, Albus. Make sure you keep him close,” Grandma spoke softly, nodding lightly at him.

“I got lucky, that’s for sure,” he replied.

“Luck has nothing to do with it. You boys were meant to find each other, I know that for sure. And I couldn’t be happier you found him. What you two have is very special, it’s a rare type of love and you should always cherish that.”

“I do. I cherish everything about him.”

Scorpius woke up just as the film ended, but instead of moving he simply curled up closer to Albus, making a sort of groaning noise.

“Hey sleepyhead, wanna go to bed?” Albus asked.

Scorpius nodded against him, but once again did not move. Albus laughed and fondly ruffled his hair, making to stand which gave Scorpius no choice but to get up. They said goodnight to Albus’ grandparents, giving them both a hug before sleepily trudging up the stairs. Scorpius was practically leaning on him all the way up, moaning about being woken up (even though Albus had absolutely nothing to do with that!).

They dressed for bed and slipped beneath the covers with their arms wrapped around each other. Scorpius laughed slightly as he realised Albus forgot to take his glasses off and removed them for him, placing them gently into his glasses case and on the bedside table. Scorpius then pressed a sleepy kiss to his lips. “Thank you, Al, for letting me come. I know this is the special time with your Grandparents and I hope I didn’t ruin it,” he mumbled.

“You could never ruin it, you only made it better. I hope you enjoyed it, too,” Albus mumbled back, pressing a kiss to his hair.

“I had the best time. Goodnight, my love.”

“Goodnight, honey.”

As they settled into sleep, Albus couldn’t help but feel a little sad the days were over. Tomorrow, the Burrow will start filling with various Granger-Weasleys and the peace would be ruined. It wouldn’t be just the four of them anymore, baking cakes and watching movies, knitting jumpers and marvelling over muggle technology. The house would be full of people louder than life itself, a magnetic energy spreading throughout and Albus would be the least important person in the room once again.

He had no idea how Scorpius would be in that kind of situation, but he hoped he would fit in like a puzzle piece. There was a part of Albus that believed Scorpius was destined to be a Weasley all this time, and he got on with most of them, but he had never been in the same room as _everyone_ and he certainly hadn’t done that as Albus’ boyfriend.

But one good thing would come out of the next day. Scorpius would open his first Weasley jumper (he and Grandma had agreed to give it him earlier as he couldn’t stay on Christmas day) and Albus would get to watch the pure joy wash over his features. And he’d get to see Scorpius stand and openly embrace his Grandma and thank her over and over. Maybe then he really would feel like a part of the family.

Albus tried not to dwell on it and instead closed his eyes, listening to the calming sound of Scorpius breathing lightly and tried to match his own. He shuffled down slightly, embracing him properly and breathing in his scent. He focused on this moment as he fell into a sleep, thinking of how these past two days have been and not how the next day will go.

With Scorpius in his arms in the one place that felt like home, he realised that Scorpius was by far the best thing that ever happened to him. Anywhere could be a home if Scorpius was there, because it was _Scorpius_ that was his home; Scorpius who gave him a place to belong; Scorpius who loves him for all his flaws and all his stupid, insane ideas. Somehow, Scorpius had wormed his way into the best parts of his life and made them all a little brighter. Scorpius took all he broken pieces and glued them together. With Scorpius by his side, he can do absolutely anything. He was complete; he was whole.

He was infinite.

**Author's Note:**

> I would love to hear all your thoughts and feelings on this! Drop and comment or find me on twitter: @sunshinescorp


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